Lisa Dunn, partner/owner at LAUREL Real Estate Resources Continuing our new HW+ member spotlight series, we’re featuring Lisa Dunn, partner/owner at LAUREL Real Estate Resources. She specializes in residential real estate throughout Orange County, California, and is currently celebrating over 25
Clear Capital acquires Finnish digital floor plan firm
Appraisal management company Clear Capital is looking to beef up tech tools for its network of appraisers, and it is doing so through an acquisition. The Reno, Nevada-based company just closed on the acquisition of Finnish proptech startup CubiCasa this
St. Louis Real Estate Market: Prices | Trends | Forecast 2021-2022
The St. Louis real estate market is hot. Homes are selling fast because inventory is low, creating a banner selling season for homeowners looking to move. While St. Louis real estate market remains more affordable than in many other metro
Stellar MLS to launch new agent platform
The nation’s third largest MLS, with over 70,000 agents in Florida and Puerto Rico, Stellar MLS announced Tuesday that it is partnering with Remine and MoxiWorks to launch a new platform for real estate professionals. Stellar MLS currently offers members
Ex-loanDepot COO: Tony Hsieh cut corners to boost volume
A former executive at loanDepot dropped a bombshell on the mortgage industry late Wednesday, alleging in a lawsuit that the California-based nonbank lender, in a ploy to drum up money during the refi boom and in preparation for its initial
Homeowners gain $2.9 trillion in equity in Q2 2021
Homeowners with mortgages gained $2.9 trillion in equity in the second quarter of 2021, a 29.3% year-over-year increase, according to a new report by CoreLogic released Wednesday. This marks an average gain of $51,500(!) per borrower since the second quarter
Mortgage rates continue to idle at 2.88%
The average 30-year-fixed mortgage rose, ever so slightly, to 2.88% for the week ending Sept. 23, according to Freddie Mac‘s latest PMMS survey. Mortgage rates have been roughly flat for months now. “The slowdown in economic growth around the world
Are remote appraisals here to stay?
Appraisers have experienced many challenges in the last couple of years. From juggling high volume demand for appraisals in the middle of a pandemic, appraisers had to radically change their processes. Most took these challenges in stride and adopted innovative
Spokane Housing Market: Prices | Trends | Forecast 2021-2022
Spokane has been one of the hottest real estate markets in the country for many years. Home prices in the Spokane real estate market are expected to rise at a steady pace in 2021 & 2022. There is a high
Appraisal Subcommittee hosts tense discussion on bias
An Appraisal Subcommittee roundtable discussion about bias in appraisals struck a nerve with attendees of the virtual summit, many of them appraisal professionals. Department of Housing and Urban Development Sec. Marcia Fudge, who headlined the event, gave a short presentation
How brokers can help today’s unique borrower
The average borrower has drastically changed throughout the years. Today, more borrowers are self-employed, work remotely and have multiple streams of income. For brokers, working with these borrowers can be complicated because they require unique processes. HousingWire recently spoke with
Houston Real Estate Market: Prices | Trends | Forecast 2021-2022
We will discuss the latest Houston housing market trends. After a 13-month run of positive sales volume in the Houston housing market was abruptly ended in July, August saw a return to increased sales volume. Single-family home sales and total property sales
Existing home sales pop the 2021 housing bubble boys
The National Association of Realtors reported existing home sales for August came in at a very tiny beat of estimates at 5,880,000. Now that we are a few days away from October, we can again say that the housing bubble
Fall Chores We SHOULD Do
Lenders mandated to use FHA Catalyst for appraisals
Starting March 14, 2022, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) will require all lenders to use FHA Catalyst for appraisals. The module can also accept appraisals for Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECMs), the administration announced last week. The FHA Catalyst: Electronic
Detroit Michigan Housing Market: Trends & Forecast 2021-2022
Investing in the Detroit housing market has been a source of contention for investors for a long time. The effects of the pandemic are visibly diminishing in 2021, and other indicators show that the city is beginning to recover its
Jeffrey Naimon to speak at HW Annual Sept. 27-28
A series of regulatory changes are taking place in housing due to a new political administration and the country’s reckoning with racial inequality in homeownership. That’s why HousingWire invited attorney Jeffrey Naimon, partner at the Buckley LLP Washington, D.C. office,
Renter market picks up in suburbs
American suburbs surrounding the nation’s 50 largest metropolitan areas gained a total of 4.7 million new residents since 2010, with 3.7 million of them renters, according to a report by nationwide apartment search website RENTCafé on U.S. Census Bureau data.
Senate to advance Biden’s pick for CFPB
Eight months after President Joe Biden tapped Rohit Chopra to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he is ready to bring the nomination to the Senate floor for a vote. The Senate Cloakroom
One-third of real estate CEO comp is variable, up from 2016
A full one-third of the compensation paid to non-controlling shareholder real estate CEOs is variable, according to the 2021 RealTrends Brokerage Compensation Report. This is up considerably from 2016, when the last report was published. “A great thing happened over
Raleigh Housing Market: Prices | Trends | Forecast 2021-2022
If you are looking to invest in Raleigh real estate, you must read till the end. Raleigh, North Carolina is a southeastern city often overshadowed by the larger Charlotte market. Raleigh is the capital of North Carolina. It is the
Radian’s Suzanne Powell on taking an “automation-first” approach
While the rise of digital technology has permanently shifted the world of lending, many borrowers still look for a human-touch experience to help create trust and transparency throughout the lending process. “A successful model can maximize the use of both
Homebuilders are targeting the exurbs and inner suburbs
Confidence among homebuilders steadied over the past month despite continuing material and labor challenges, according to the latest National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) report. The report is based on a monthly survey
Forbearance numbers fall as borrower exits remain high
Servicers’ forbearance portfolio volume fell once again last week, as exits remained elevated compared to requests or re-entries. The total number of loans in forbearance dropped by eight basis points to 3.00% as of Sept. 12, according to the Mortgage
